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Incoming CSAC president urges unity, lists homelessness, housing, climate and elder care as priorities
Summary
The incoming president of the California State Association of Counties outlined priorities including homelessness, housing affordability, climate adaptation, childcare and services for an aging population while calling for counties to work together and to train new legislators.
The incoming president of the California State Association of Counties delivered remarks outlining a year of priorities for the organization, urging county leaders to focus on homelessness, housing affordability, climate resilience, childcare and services for an aging population while pressing for unity across political divides.
"I am so honored and grateful that you all have placed your trust in me to be your president for the next year," the incoming CSAC president said. The speaker framed CSAC as a 58-county "family" and emphasized the association's role in advocating for county flexibility and resources from the state and federal governments.
The president said homelessness remains a central, unresolved problem: "We got homelessness which is not decreasing despite all of our efforts." Housing affordability also drew direct attention; the speaker said county employees and many residents face difficulty buying homes and described the problem as a crisis.
Climate and wildfire risk were raised as another area for county investment. The president said visits across the state — from the rain-soaked North Coast and the Sierra Nevada to the deserts of Imperial County and Southern California beaches — reinforced a need to invest in regions that supply water, clean air and recreation.
Early childhood care and the aging population were presented as concurrent pressures. The president noted the need for childcare and early education so parents can work, and cited a demographic projection: "by 2030, a quarter of all residents of California are going to be over the age of 60," calling attention to gaps in infrastructure to serve an older population.
The speaker urged counties to seize an opportunity presented by an influx of new legislators, saying "over a third of the legislature is brand new right now" and quoting a state librarian's assessment that this is the least experienced group of California legislators in modern history. The president said CSAC must train and inform lawmakers about county functions and needs.
The remarks repeatedly stressed unity and civility across political differences: "If we do our job particularly well, I think we can be a model for other levels of government on how to behave, how to treat each other, how to get things done." The president closed by asking members to consider whether actions "make my community stronger" before speaking or acting.
No formal motions or votes were recorded in the remarks. The presentation referenced CSAC programs and staff by name, including the New Supervisors Institute, Women's Leadership Forum, the CSAC Institute, the California Counties Foundation and the CSAC Finance Corporation, and thanked staff leaders and retiring supervisors.
